Kindness from the heart: Audrey Hepburn

You may know Audrey Hepburn as a fashion icon, classic actress or from the iconic scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s when she appears in a Givenchy black dress. However, her natural beauty, grace and elegance comes through much more from the kindness she has given in the world. It is a reminder that a woman is not a layer of skin and not just a pretty face, especially in such a visual world. Underneath there are many layers of history, actions and meaning to make a difference in the world that Audrey made and I felt inspired to write about it here.With incredible modesty and with the amount of success and fame, Audrey was quite private about her personal life. However, when she spoke about the children she had met that were suffering, she spoke with a passion to bring awareness. True awareness to create action. As a humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF for the rest of her life, she overcame a hard youth in Nazi-occupied Holland. During this time, Hepburn suffered from malnutrition due to lack of food. Through watching several interviews, you can feel the empathy she has for these children. The understanding, love and kindness.

A quote from Unicef.org reads “I can testify to what UNICEF means to children, because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II,” said actress Audrey Hepburn on her appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador in 1989. “I have a long-lasting gratitude and trust for what UNICEF does.” As a result of her work for UNICEF over subsequent years, that gratitude is mutual. Audrey worked in extremely impoverished communities in Africa, South America and Asia and in 1992 was awarded by George H.W. Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work.Audrey’s heart in creating awareness and creating change was a dedication she had for the rest of her life. Though she had cancer, she still continued her work for UNICEF, travelling to Somalia, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and the United States. This article can never express the amount of kindness from the heart that Audrey had given. A rare natural beauty whose true kindness, generosity, beauty and honesty showed inside and out all through out her life.